Jennifer Garner Is Done With Being Just Ben Affleck’s Wife, Okay Guys?

There are two things that Jennifer Garner doesn’t want to do anymore: count calories and be Ben Affleck‘s wife. Oh I’m sorry, I think I missed a crucial word in there — count calories and be viewed as Ben Affleck’s wife. There we go.

Jen is the cover girl for the September issue of Allure, and she did one of her old, reliable, incredibly charming interviews about Ben. I know a lot of people are probably over her and/or find her boring because her most high-profile credit is still arguably Alias, and that was a full decade ago, but I still have a soft spot for her. Any celebrity who can live her life and raise her kids in a way that makes me think A. she’s an excellent mom and B. I could be just as excellent if I put my mind to it. She’s never surrounded by nannies or support staff — she’s so accessible! I’ve seen that sweater at The Gap! Minus the famous part, this family leads a totally normal life!

It is true, though, that she’s highly associated with Ben these days. Careers ebb and flow, and his is in a pretty big flow tide at the moment, what with the beard and Argoand these past Oscars and the handsome and the beard. So yeah, we’ve all gotten pretty used to seeing her float in on his arm and gracefully humanize him when he fumbles a speech or something. But that’s not something Jen is into, as she says she makes a point of not attending every event with him:

“It’s a very conscious decision. Sometimes it’s a pain because my heels are so high and it would be nice to have his arm. And he’s such a great date! But it can be too much. I think especially for women, they can really lose their identity and just become ‘wife of.’”

And that policy isn’t just limited to off-screen. The two of them also continue to hold off from ever shooting a movie together, other than the critically-acclaimed and not at all a flop Daredevil, where they met.

“Really, you don’t want to see a couple onscreen . . . People see paparazzi shots of us together all the time. There’s no mystery . . . People are sick of us.”

It’s funny, though, because we’re very not. Or I’m not, at least. I’m still fascinated by the dynamics of this marriage, and I’d love to be a fly on their wall while they discuss their marriage and/or whether they’re headed toward divorce. Either that, or just have Jen adopt me. Preferably the second one.